Gutter shield



Oct. 17, 1950 E. PROBST GUTTER'SHIELD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 50, 1948 E. PRQBST GUTTER SHIELD 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed March 30, 1948 gwuc/wbob Emmet Probst Patented Oct. 17 195 0- OFFICE.

' 'GUTTEB SHIELD I Emmet roust. Mountain view,-N. J.

Application Ma en 30, 1948,seiia1'No. 18,033

5 cla ms. (01.108- 36) This invention relates to animproved shield "for a roof gutter which will excludetherefrom leaves and other flow-obstructing debris while permitting roof -drainage to the gutter.

The invention has among its objects the pro' visionof an improved shield of the type indicated which is simple in construction, "economical to manufacture, and easy to apply.

The invention has as a further object the provision of a gutter shield which substantially completely covers the gutter and remains securely in applied position without the necessity of external securing means, in spite of winds to which it is exposed, and in spite of snow and ice which may fall upon it. V This application is a continuation-in-part of now abandoned application Serial No. 714,010, filed December 4, 1946.

The gutter shield of the present invention is formed of a netting made of spaced longitudinalbe introduced within the gutter at its mouth, the

protruding ends of the transverse strands being Fig. 6 is a fragmentary viewin end elevation of such shield, the view being taken in a direction from leftto right in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in vertical section through a third embodiment of the shield of g the invention, the section being taken at one longitudinal edge thereof.

The first described embodiment of the gutter shield is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In Fig. 1 the shield, generally designated 6, is shown in assembled position on the wooden gutter 2 supported on surface 4, which may be the side of ahouse.

Shield 6, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, is composed of a series of spaced parallel longitudinal wires 8 and a series'of spaced parallel wires l0 positioned transverse thereto, the longitudinal and transverse-wires being interwoven in a conventional manner- The mouth of the gutter has 'a width A 'at the level denoted by the line cc.

protruding ends of the transverse wires are preferably bent at least slightly upwardly, and are pointed at [2 as by providing the bevelled lower provided with upwardly facing barbs such as hooks or burrs which engage the inner surface of the gutter. In the shield of the invention the transverse strands are relatively stiff and are;

preferably springy or resilient, whereas the longitudinal strands are preferably substantially de- 5 void of spring.

The invention will be more'readily understood {by reference to the accompanying drawings in "which: t

Fig. 1 is a view in verticalcross-sction through an assembly including a wooden gutter and the first described embodiment ofQt'he shield;

i: Fig 2 i fragmentary viewin section throug the left-hand-edge of the "shield' 'shw in through the left-hand edgeof the:shieldshown -in Fig.4; v

surface M. The thus described shield i applied direction. Release of the shield after it has been positioned in the gutter causes points l2 of the transverse wires to dig into the mouth of the gutter so that the shield is retained firmly therewithin.

Such action will occur in the most advanta- 'geous manner when the transverse wires .are

. made of material such as metal distinctly springy in character. For this purpose, transverse wires ill) may be made of various non'corrodible spring metals such as Monel metal, phosphor bronze, or spring brass, a typical analysis of such last metal being 67%72% copper, 28%-33% zinc, both by weight, with small amounts of lead and iron.

,to the coating operation by heating above the critical point followed by quenching, to render it markedlylspringy. A ,typicalsteel suitable for 25 are preferably metal wires.

such purpose is one having the following analysis by weight:

0.55%-0.'70% carbon 0.90 %1.20% manganese 0.04 %-maximum phosphorus 0.045 %maximum sulphur Balance-substantially all iron The longitudinal wires 8 are preferably made of strong durable material which possesses no marked resilience. For this purpose, copper is suitable, although it is relatively expensive. It

is preferred to use for wires 8 a low carbon steel,

likewise coated with a corrosion resistant coating. A low carbon steel containing from 0.08% to 0.10% carbon is typical of metals suitable for use as wires 8. Wires 8 are substantially nonresilient, and preferably are in dead-soft, annealed, state. When the shield above decsribed is made in the preferred manner, that is, with the transverse wires springy and the longitudinal wires essentially non-resilient, it may be applied most easily, since it offers no appreciable resistance to blending to the described configuration longitudinally, but by reason of its transverse spring it is held very securely in the gutter.

The second described embodiment of the shield,

' designated 22 in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, is shown in Fig. 4 as applied to a metal gutter Hi, the latter being positioned on the side of a house 18, by means not shown, immediately below the depending'edge of the roof 20. Shield 22 is likewise made up of a woven netting and both the longitudinal strands 24 and the transverse strands Wires 26 are also, as in the first embodiment, made of metal which is markedly resilient, and longitudinal wires 24 are made of metal which lacks substantial resilience and such wires are preferably dead-soft.

In this embodiment of the shield there is provided a strip of netting which preferably has a width between the marginal longitudinal. strands -at least slightly exceeding the width of the gutter at its mouth. At each edge there are provided efo'f the protruding ends preferably being twice the spacing between aforesaid longitudinal wires.

The lower end 30 of wire portions 28 are bent of the transverse wires within the gutter, as shown.

The resilience of the transverse wires causes points 32 of the protruding ends to dig'atleast slightly into the inner surfaces of the gutter.

The first described shield 5 may conveniently vbe made by weaving a length of netting the width of which is a multiple of the width of the desired shield. Preferably, two longitudinal wires 8 are omitted, one on each side of the boundary between shields to be formed, the netting then being cut longitudinally along the line midway between the margins of the shields. By the choice of a suitably designed cutter, points l2 and bevelled surfaces 14 on the transverse wires may be formed simultaneously with the cutting operation.

Shield 22 of the second embodiment may be formed in somewhat the same manner except that, in this instance, four longitudinal Wires 24 are omitted from the netting stock at each boundary between the shields to be formed therefrom, and that the line of out between shields leaves protruding transverse wire ends 28 which are substantially twice as long as the distance between the aforesaid longitudinal wires. Here, likewise, a suitable cutter will form point 32 and bevelled surface 34 on the transverse wire coincident with the cutting operation. Ends 28 may then be bent downwardly and the upturned hook at the end thereof may be formed in a subsequent operation.

It is not necessary in some cases to make the barb in the shape of an upbent hook on the lower end of the downbent portion of the transverse wires of a shield of the type shown in the second embodiment. In such cases it is sufficient to rely upon the burr forming on the protruding end of the wire as a result of the cutting operation as a a series of spaced protruding downwardly ex-., tending ends 28 of the transverse wires, the length" surface 44.

Whereas for purposes of illustration I have described preferred embodiments of the gutter shield of my invention, it is to be understood that the shield is capable of considerable variation as to details. Thus, while it is preferred that every transverse wire in the shield have its protruding ends formed, as shown, to engage the gutter, it is sufficient in many cases thus to form the transverse wires at fairly closely, substantially regularly, spaced intervals longitudinal of the shield. The invention is therefore defined within the scope of the following claims.

I claim as new the following:

1. In combination with a gutter, a shield formed of a strip of netting and extending lengthwise of and supported at and in the mouth of the gutter, the netting being made up of a series of parallel longitudinal wires and a series of parallel transverse wires, the longitudinal wires being made of non-resilient metal and the transverse wires being made of spring metal, the shield having the transverse wires thereof at close intervals spaced longitudinally thereon extending at their ends outwardly of the marginal longitudinal wires, the ends of the transverse wires being provided with points, the resilience of said transverse wires being such as to cause said points to dig into the walls of the gutter, such points on the transverse wires each being engaged with th adjacent inner surface of the gutter.

2. In combination with a gutter, a shield formed of a strip of netting and extending lengthwise of and supported at and in the mouth ofthe gutter, the netting being made up of a series of parallel longitudinal wires and a series of parallel transverse wires, the longitudinal wires being made of dead soft metal and the transverse wires being made of spring metal, the shield having each of the transverse wires thereof extending at their ends outwardly of the marsilience of said transverse wires being such as to cause said points to dig into the walls of the gutter, such points on the transverse wires each being engaged with the adjacent inner surface of the utter.

3. In combination with a gutter, a shield formed of a strip of netting and extending lengthwise of and supported at and in the mouth of the gutter, the netting being made up of a series of parallel longitudinal wires and a series of parallel transverse wires; the longitudinal Wires being made of dead soft metal and the transverse wires being made of spring metal, the shield having its longitudinal margins bent downwardly, the shield having the transverse Wires thereof at close intervals spaced longitudinally thereon extending at their ends substantially downwardly from the marginal longitudinal wires, the ends of the transverse wires being provided with upwardly facing barbs, the resilience of said transverse wires being such as to cause said points to dig into the walls of the gutter, such barbs on the transverse wires each being engaged with the adjacent inner surface of the gutter.

4. A gutter shield formed of a strip of netting and adapted to extend lengthwise of and to be supported at and in the mouth of the gutter,

wires each being adapted to form and to engage an I indentation at the adjacent inner surface of the gutter, the netting being adapted to be bowed to I thus to form such indentations.

5. In combination .with a gutter, a shield formed of a strip of netting and extending lengthwise of and supported at'and in the mouth of the gutter, the netting being made up of a series of parallel longitudinal wires and a series of parallel transverse wires, the longitudinal wires being made of non-resilient metal and the transverse wires being made of spring metal, the shield having the transverse wires thereof at close intervals spaced longitudinally thereon extending at their ends substantially downwardly from the marginal longitudinal wires, the ends of the transverse wires being provided with outwardly facing points, the resilience of said transverse Wires being such as to cause said points to dig into the walls of the gutter, such points on the transverse wires each being engaged with the adjacent inner surface of the gutter.

, EMMET PROBST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,585,503 Laisen May 18, 1926 2,229,381 Grow Jan. 21, 1941 

